BAZ Underground Updates XXIV

So, a little milestone is upon us here at the BAZ Underground Update team. This week’s article carries the number 24. Yes people, you read that right, the 24th week is upon us which also means that it’s been 6 months since the very first UU article was published! It only feels like it was yesterday that Julia Katrin and Tom Boatman had their little chat where they discussed how we could possibly help the metal community in these tough pandemic times where losses were great. And yet it’s been half a year, and we are nowhere near finished, for as long as there is interesting activity and great offers going on, there is no way anyone can silence us!

So, let’s see what’s out there…

Band: Sabaton / DragonForce

This coming Friday, bassist Pär Sundström and frontman Joakim Brodén of Sabaton will join Sam Totman and Herman Li on Herman´s Twitch channel. As some may know, the humorists of DragonForce have done some spoof songs of different bands and this Friday, the live show will broadcast the reactions of Pär and Joakim to the Sabaton spoof track DragonForce composed live a few weeks ago. Herman´s Twitch channel can be found here and as far as we know, the stream will start at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET/ 9pm UK/ 22hrs CEST.

Band: Lamb of God

A little while ago, Lamb of God announced two massive worldwide streaming events coming up, and now it is finally time for us to experience the first one! This coming Friday the band will be presenting to us the very special performance of their new album „Lamb of God“ to be played in its entirety from an intimate club in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The stream is scheduled for 2pm LA/5pm NY/10pm UK/ 11pm EU, and tickets are available here. Make sure to also check out the merch bundles, and the special offer on ticket prices, if you wish to get tickets for both streams, but the second show will take place next week. More on that later.

The pre-show will begin an hour before the group´s set which will feature exclusive interviews with the members of the band, as well as an opening set from Bleed From Within.

Band: Horrible Earth

There are times when a band’s name, their artwork and their sound all fit together perfectly. So it is with Horrible Earth. If you’re a fan of bands like Brutal Truth, Terrorizer and Repulsion and you like a heavy dose of hardcore with your grindcore, well you’ve found yourself in the right place. Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have brought together all the band’s releases on the aptly titled “Discography 2013-2019”. Click here for the strictly limited edition CD and below for a brief, but brutal sample.

Band: Crowbar

Not two months ago the mighty Crowbar released a limited 25th anniversary edition of their great “Time Heals Nothing” album (which sold out almost in an instant). Now it’s the turn of “Equilibrium” to get its own 20th anniversary limited vinyl release. Limited to 500 copies, you still have time to snag one for yourself. Crowbar during this time wasn’t really a functioning band as such, with Kirk Windstein putting a lot of the music together himself in the studio. Whatever the trials and tribulations that went into it however, I personally hold this album up as one of the best to bear the Crowbar name. Well worth picking up. Click here for the limited coloured vinyl and remind yourself of the sheer badassery with this sample below:

Band: Repulsion

Did someone mention Repulsion? Oh yes, we did. The pioneers of grindcore/ goregrind/ death grind (or whatever label you care to choose) originally recorded what would be their first and only album “Horrified” in 1986. It would be another 3 years before the album saw the light of day and you can now delight in your very own shiny tri colour merge with splatter vinyl edition. How many copies there are is beyond our ken, but don’t wait too long to pick one up. Click here to pick one up, or perhaps a CD, t-shirt, or hoodie. Clean your ears below:

Band: Weedeater

With a name such as Weedeater you should be expecting some dirty, scuzzy stoner/ sludge metal, and that is indeed what Weedeater deliver. “God Luck and Good Speed” was originally released in 2007 and now boys and girls the opportunity has arrived to pick up a newly released vinyl copy of the album. Two versions are available (yellow or black). You can pick one up here and while you’re at it why not get a t-shirt too? Don’t hang about, both vinyl editions look like they’ll be gone very soon.

Band: Void Rod

And finally, we have something new to draw your attention to, in the shape of American death-doom band Void Rod and their monstrously huge debut full-length album “Descending Pillars”. Out now on Sentient Ruin Laboratories, you can pick the album up on limited coloured vinyl, digital and cassette. Click here to check it out and feast your ears on the apocalypse with a sample below:

It’s hard to believe that our world is almost still in the same state as it was six months ago, although it’s easy to imagine that it would have been a lot worse had we not acted as the responsible and caring adults that we are. So for now we at BAZ suggest we continue the same old routine; wash our hands, keep social distances and take part in live streams and events as well as special offers on merch and vinyls. Maybe soon we will once again be free to rub ourselves up against one another safely as we mosh in front of stages.

By Julia Katrin and Tom Boatman

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